Have a walk and learn about wine at the Manitou Springs Wine Walk from 6 to 8:30 p.m. March 8. For $45, plus a $3.47 processing fee, you visit D'Vine Wines, 934 Manitou Ave.; Mona's Cellar at Mona Lisa Fondue Restaurant, 733 Manitou Ave.; and Swirl Wine Bar, 717 Manitou Ave., to enjoy nine short wine pours, light bites and wine education. Buy tickets at tinyurl.com/ydasagkm. Walking maps are available at the Manitou Springs Chamber of Commerce, 354 Manitou Ave., and should be picked up before 5 p.m. March 8.

Dickey's delivers

Bob Rusnak, owner of several Dickey's Barbecue Pits franchises, announced that the downtown location, 130 E. Pikes Peak Ave., is geared up for delivery.

The owner of Four by Brother Luck in Colorado Springs, was axed from Last Chance Kitchen on the 15th season of Bravo's "Top Chef" on Thursday night.

Luck and Joe Flamm competed at the end of Episode 10, which left us in a cliffhanger. It came down to the two chefs preparing any dish they wanted with food from the pantry. Luck did a creative stuffed chicken with nitrogen gas, frozen raspberries and Brussels sprouts hash. Flamm's refined lamb with fava pesto and raw fava beans ended up taking the winning ticket, which was revealed when Flamm came out at the start of the elimination challenge in Episode 11.

I've just stepped up my Taco Tuesday game, thanks to a trip to Mazatlan, Mexico.

Here's a look at some of the culinary tours and classes I recommend.

Food tours

Alastair Porteous, chef and owner of Water's Edge Bistro in historic downtown Mazatlan, loaded us onto the back of an open-air truck - with a cooler full of beer, wine and water - and took us on a street taco tour to four of his late-night favorites.

Our first stop was at the only craft microbrewery in Mazatlan: Cerveceria Tres Islas, named for the three islands visible from the city.

"This is what chefs do here after work: Fill up on tacos and beer," Porteous said.

Then we hit his favorite taco stand and dove into a huge serving of tacos de

For anyone seeking something sensual to serve for supper: Consider tortellini. The small circles of rolled, egg-based dough folded around a filling are one of the more beloved members of the Italian pasta family. And it's one with a titillating story about how it was created.

We learned the legend from chef Elise Wiggins, owner of Cattivella Wood-Fired Italian restaurant in Denver.

"Cattivella means naughty chef," she said. "So I have a naughty story about tortellini. There's a story behind every pasta, and there are several versions about how the tortellini got its shape. So I'm going to give you the PG-13 version.

Take your sweetie to the best rock show in Colorado with a ride through the Royal Gorge. Two choices: A two-hour lunch trip at 12:30 p.m. or a three-hour dinner run at 5 p.m. Sunday. For guests 8 and older. Tickets include a rose for your special someone and one glass of sparkling wine per guest (sparkling cider for underage guests). All seating is assigned and reserved; specific requests cannot be guaranteed. Reservations at 888-724-5748 or 719-276-4000, visit tinyurl.com/yakmgz2v.

Brother Luck, owner of Four by Brother Luck in Colorado Springs, continues his reign in Last Chance Kitchen on the 15th season of Bravo's "Top Chef."

In Episode 9 last week, Luck didn't win or lose Last Chance Kitchen. He held his own. Joseph Flamm - one of two chefs cut in the Episode 9 Elmination Challenge and sent to Last Chance Kitchen for the taco bar challenge - remained with Luck in Last Chance Kitchen. In Episode 10 on Thursday, Bruce Kalman was sent to Last Chance Kitchen to face off with Luck and Flamm.

In the "Goldilocks and the Three Bears" Last Chance Kitchen challenge, the three eliminated cheftestants were to make a delicious porridge.

Brewer's Republic was revived Tuesday at 112 N. Nevada Ave. with "A Cerberus Taphouse" tagline. Jerry Morris and Tom Halfast, co-founders of Cerberus Brewing Co. on West Colorado Avenue, had ties to Brewer's, and they stepped in after it closed Dec. 20.

Cerberus opened in 2016 with tremendous success, so the opportunity to have a downtown outlet for their beer held appeal. Joshua Adamski, head brewer at Cerberus, will continue as such. Mark LeFebvre, award-winning executive chef for Cerberus, will oversee the menu development and culinary team at Brewer's Republic.

"Brewers Republic is a pizza place with the Cerberus flair," LeFebvre said.

Now we're talking, and the wait is over. When Andres Velez, co-owner with his wife, Patricia, temporarily closed the Piglatin Food Truck in Colorado Springs in July, fans of their Latin-fusion foods were wringing their hands, wondering when they would get arepas, Cubanos or island tacos again.

The answer arrived with the opening of Piglatin Cocina in late January at 2825 Dublin Blvd.

Velez warns, "Some things are not complete. We are doing minor menu tweaks and other things, like getting high chairs for babies. And our hours are not set in stone."

The good news is: Two places will offer Velez's creative Latin-fusion dishes, the new eatery and the food truck when it's back on the road.

Anyone who has had heart disease or survived a heart attack knows the importance of making lifestyle changes to improve their health and prevent a recurrence. That's where the Penrose-St. Francis Ornish Lifestyle Medicine program can be a game changer. It's reportedly the first and only program scientifically proven to slow, stop and even reverse the progression of heart disease.

The Penrose-St. Francis Heart and Vascular Center has one of only two such programs in southern Colorado; the other is at South Denver Cardiology Associates, A Centura Health Clinic.

If you're looking to wow your sweetie on Valentine's Day without hassling to make reservations at busy restaurants, Aaron Miller has your back. The Ranch Foods Direct chef in December introduced his "Sous Vide 1.0" uniquely spiced top sirloin steaks just in time for holiday entertaining. Now he has created "Sous Vide 2.0," a different set of spices on those top sirloins that again brings a restaurant-quality dish into your home.

But there's more to this than special spices and a nice cut of meat. Miller vacuum-packs the spiced meat and partially cooks it to 131 to 133 degrees in a circulating warm water bath - the technique called sous vide. Then the steaks are chilled and put in the cooler for sale.

The Mumbo Jumbo Gumbo Cookoff takes place at Soda Springs Park, 35 Park Ave., in Manitou Springs on Feb. 10. Professional entry deadline is 5 p.m. Feb. 2. Five gallons of gumbo is required from each entrant, and all must be set up by 10:30 a.m. Judging begins at 10:45 a.m.

First-, second- and third-place awards will be given for professionals and for amateurs, plus awards for Best Showmanship and People's Choice. The winners get cash prizes.

Gumbo can be made with a combination of okra, roux or filé and generally is served over rice.

It's fine dining worth a drive to enjoy great food and a hard-to-beat westward view of the mountains. And the prices are very affordable, because the cafe is subsidized by the hospital.

The hospital chefs got my attention three years ago when I judged the chef cook-off at the Taste of Douglas County. Chef de cuisine Adam Freisem was competing with impressive presentation and flavor combinations. He has taken first place for his entrées the past two years. His boss, executive chef Daniel Skay, is an

With American Heart Month kicking off Thursday, now's a good time to eat more healthily. Consider adding a few plant-based meals a week.

If you need help getting started, look no further than local culinary instructor JL Fields, who knows a few things about vegan cooking. She's the author or co-author of five books on the subject and just released a revised, expanded version of her 2015 "Vegan Pressure Cooking."

The book has 20 new recipes among its 120 total, plus information about using any type of pressure cooker or multicooker, including an Instant Pot, the most popular small appliance gift this past holiday season.

The first Instant Pot was released in 2010 but didn't take off until near the end of 2016.